Experts note that fakes and looted artifacts have been a problem on the internet for a long time. However, there has been a sharp increase in the availability of these objects due to the increased popularity of Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, eBay, Amazon, and WhatsApp. These platforms have made it easier for looters and traffickers to directly contact potential buyers—cutting out the middlemen.

In this latest policy brief, Dr. Neil Brodie examines how best to protect businesses and consumers from the skyrocketing internet market, which he warns “presents a clear and present danger to the survival of the world’s cultural heritage.”

The latest release is by Dr. Lawrence Rothfield, Associate Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of Chicago. In the paper, Rothfield argues for levying a “pollution” tax on the legitimate antiquities trade, in order to establish an antiquities-protection “Superfund.”

The Antiquities Coalition today launched a Cultural Heritage Think Tank to explore innovative solutions to pressing challenges in cultural heritage, publishing the first in a new series of policy briefs by distinguished specialists from the public and private sectors.